Korean noodle chain created by celebrity chef opens Fresno restaurant. What’s on the menu?
An international noodle shop chain created by a South Korean celebrity chef has opened its first Fresno-area restaurant.
Visitors to Paik’s Noodle in Fresno will spot images of its founder, Paik Jong-won, “all over to place,” one employee said.
A large photo of Paik hangs outside the restaurant next to a sign reading “Now Open!” and a cartoon version of the chef adorns the restaurant’s logo.
“I always tell everyone ... Paik is like the Korean Gordon Ramsey,” said Armando Martinez, assistant manager at Paik’s Noodle in Fresno.
“This is Paik’s first restaurant in the Central Valley,” Martinez said, noting that the chain plans to open more locations across the region.
What is Paik’s Noodle?
Paik’s Noodle, which specializes in Korean-Chinese cuisine, began in Seoul, South Korea, in 2006.
The chain now has more than 300 locations worldwide, including 13 restaurants in California.
Paik, its founder, is one of the judges on the Netflix show “Culinary Class Wars.” The show pits 100 renowned chefs and undiscovered talents against each other in a culinary battle.
Paik hosts the Netflix series “Paik Spirit,” where he chats with celebrity guests about life and food over meals.
He also appears in five different “Rhapsody” specials on Netflix highlighting the origins of different Southern Korean comfort foods, from pork belly to fried chicken and cold noodles.
Where is new Korean-Chinese restaurant?
Paik’s Noodle is at 673 East Nees Ave. in Fresno next to Save Mart.
The 2,100-square-foot restaurant has multiple wooden tables and a minimalistic design as well as a spacious kitchen.
According to Martinez, the restaurant has a staff of about 13 employees.
What is on the menu?
Paik’s Noodle serves up Korean-Chinese fusion dishes with bold sweet, spicy and savory flavors.
The restaurant offers a variety of noodle dishes including jajangmyeon, featuring thick noodles with pork, vegetables and a savory black bean sauce.
Stir-fried jajangmyeon noodles come with shrimp, squid and vegetables in black bean sauce.
“We stir fry it on the wok,” said Kenny Baek, operation manager at Paik’s Noodle. “You get fire flavors. ... That’s one of our hot items.”
Baek said it’s his favorite dish.
Other customer favorites include the jjamppong, a spicy noodle soup with pork, squid, mussels and vegetables.
The sweet-and-sour pork is also a popular dish at the restaurant.
Rather than deep orange as diners might expect, the sweet-and-sour pork is light-colored and “looks like a crispy, puffy cloud,” Martinez said.
Martinez also recommends the chili shrimp, featuring fried shrimp in sweet and spicy chili sauce with peanuts on top.
Side dishes range from spicy fried chicken wings to fried dumplings with minced pork and vegetables.
Beverages include traditional Korean drinks such as Korean pear juice, Jinro soju, Milikis and Pororo soft drinks.
What are food prices?
Entree prices range from $10.95 to $19.95.
Side dishes are priced depending on the number of pieces you order. Chicken wings cost $9.10 to $16.95 while fried dumplings are $5.49 to $8.49.
Beverage prices range from $1.50 to $4.50
What do customers say?
According to Martinez, Paik’s Noodle has been popular with diners since opening Oct. 1.
“Lunch time is always very busy,” he said, while dinner crowds vary depending on the day.
The restaurant currently has a Yelp rating of 4.1 stars.
Yelp reviewer Sean Patrick of Fresno called Paik’s Noodle the “best place in town to get Korean food,” praising the spicy food and “very friendly and helpful” staff.
Paik’s Noodle offers a promotion that lets customers get a stamp for every $15 spent in a single transaction. Once they collect 10 stamps, they get sweet-and-sour pork for free.
Diners who celebrate their birthdays at the restaurant can get a free dish as long as they show their IDs
.
What are restaurant open hours?
Paik’s Noodle is open 11 a.m. to 8:30 pm. Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
This story was originally published February 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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